Tom Brady, Ben Affleck among look-a-like figures at new wax museum in Boston

Wednesday

Aug 9, 2017 at 10:47 AMAug 9, 2017 at 10:51 AM

Jody Feinberg The Patriot Ledger

BOSTON - The Dreamland Wax Museum in Boston has gone viral with a fumble since it opened last week. Sports fans have ridiculed the figure of Tom Brady. “People are saying it looks nothing like Brady,” said co-owner Pedro Santana, who tried to counter the criticism by posting a color photo next to the wax figure last Thursday. “But I think it looks like him in this photo.”

Nonetheless, Santana accepted the challenge and vowed to create a better Brady. He has invited the star to sit for several hours while a wax artist takes measurements and observes the subtleties of his expressions. That’s the only way to make an exact replica, said Michael Pelletz, the museum’s vice president.

“My phone has been ringing non-stop,” Pelletz said. “Negative attention is only good if you can turn that into something positive, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Whatever the shortcomings, Santana is counting on the fact that plenty of people will get a kick out of getting up close and personal with the talented and famous, as well as all 44 American presidents.

“The experience still is all about fun and hanging out next to these figures,” Santana said.

Without a rope or glass protecting the more than 100 figures, visitors can stand close enough to pose for selfies and even put an arm around the figures, whose clothing – but not wax or hair features – can be touched.

Located just steps away from Government Center and Faneuil Hall, the museum attracted the attention of a steady stream of passersby. Visiting from California, Kensie Sandlin, her husband and four children ages 6-14, decided to visit the museum after they saw Abraham Lincoln standing outside its glass front entrance.

The family goofed around as they took photos of themselves posing with Trump (noting that the head is too small and the hair too ordinary), and one daughter sat in a replica of the Oval Office desk chair and made a call from the red phone on the desk.

“It’s fun,” Sandlin said. “It’s not perfect, but when you get up close, it looks real.”

While most wax museums in the United States are Madame Tussaud museums, this one was created by Dreamz Intertainment, a Brazilian company that runs more than 35 museums in Central and South America.

Popular attractions for more than a century, wax life-size figures first were created in the Middle Ages as a way to present deceased European royalty for viewing without the risk of odor and disease. Marie Tussaud created her first wax sculpture in 1777 of Voltaire and opened her first exhibit in 1835. There now are 24 Madame Tussaud Wax Museums, located on nearly every continent.

The Dreamland Wax Museum is only the second in the world to feature every American president (the first is the The National Presidential Wax Museum in Keystone, South Dakota). It’s an impressive display, and each figure is accompanied by a poster with detailed information on his achievements before and during his presidency.

In contrast, the other figures – from music, film, television, sports, religion, royalty and technology – have only a label with their name and the Dreamland logo. While Oprah, Michael Jackson and many figures are positioned against a background or set that offers context, the omission of information can be seen as a lost opportunity to educate and inspire interest.

However, Pelletz said the name label is all visitors see at Madame Tussaud museums. And this week, visitors will be able to download an app to listen to figures talk about their lives and achievements. The app will start with four theme tours – such as royalty or Hollywood – which will be changed as the museum adds an expected 30 more figures.

“The app will make it interactive and more entertaining,” Pelletz said.

One of the figures that will be added will be a Red Sox player, whose current absence amidst Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Pele, David Beckham and Ray Bourque is noticeable.

“The parent company is in Brazil and baseball is not big down there,” Pelletz said. “We will have a Red Sox player very soon.”

Given that different artists made the figures, spending up to six months on each one, it’s not surprising to see differences. Many look fresh and animated, while some look more like dolls than people. In some ways, the inferior figures enhance appreciation for the artistry and skill of the superior ones.

“Some are better than others,” Pelletz said. “But they’re all works of art.”

Poses and costumes also make the figures dynamic. While Brady seems static as he holds a football and his helmet above his waist, Steven Spielberg seems lively as he frames an image with his upraised hands.

As he stood inches away from a regal Queen Elizabeth, visitor Daquan Sugar admired the quality of her skin, her determined expression and her elegant white fur and gown. But he disliked the representation of Obama, whose grin he said was too wide and forced. Nonetheless, he and his wife were having a good time.

“We’re becoming one with the statues,” Sugar said. “We’re enjoying getting up close.”

INFO: www.dreamlandwaxmuseum.com

Jody Feinberg may be reached at jfeinberg@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @JodyF_Ledger.